X-24: WOLVERINE REBORN
CHAPTER V
"Did you know you were a mutant?" John blatantly asked.
"What?" Dani responded with confusion. "What are you talking about?"
"In the woods, when I was fighting that woman. You came up and your eyes glew…um…what's that color…purple."
"I…don't know what you're talking about. The last thing I remember was getting flipped over in the truck. I would have told you if I was John. I would never keep anything from you."
"I know Dani it's just…all this it's…a lot," he said rubbing his head.
"I know."
"How are we supposed to do this? Save your father when we don't even know where to look."
"We'll figure it out," Dani said grabbing John's arm. "Together."
John looked up to see a man walking up aggressively taking off his coat. John could see he had fangs taking shape in his mouth and his nails growing.
"I don't know who sent you but I know you aren't my brother," he said beginning to growl.
He jumped on all fours and pounced at John tackling him to the ground. They began to wrestle on the ground for a bit before Saul lifted him off the ground and tossed him across the yard. He leaped at him again pushing John face first into the ground. John had enough and elbowed Saul in the face. He kicked him away getting up. He was about to pull out his claws but was met with a slash across the face then a strong punch to his face then an uppercut making John do a backflip onto the ground. John moved quickly tackling Saul to the ground and punched him a couple times in the face before he knocked him off. John popped his claws out and got ready for another exchange.
"I'm guessing you're a clone. So who finally wants me dead? Who sent you? Transigen? Team X? Alpha Flgiht?"
"Nobody sent me! I don't even know who you are?"
"Nice try," he responded about to charge.
BANG!
Both turned to see Rose standing gun pointed in the air.
"Why don't we go inside and talk like civilized people," she offered.
"Rose," Saul tried to warn.
"Saul!"
He reluctantly calmed down putting his claws and fangs away. John did the same as Dani walked up behind.
The lead Reavers Pretty Boy, Deathstrike, and Skullbuster sat in the back of one of their vans as they drove down the road. Deathstrike had been quiet since the incident in the forest. She still hasn't told them what happened to her.
"It's weird not having you run your mouth," Pretty Boy said lowering his shades.
"Leave her alone," Skullbuster answered raising his head
"When we find him I want it just me and him again. I also want the girl's head in my hand," Deathstrike said.
"No can do," Pretty Boy responded casually. "We gave you a chance and you blew it. Now we do this the Reaver way and the girl is to be alive. Creed said he'll double are pay if we can bring her alive."
"I make no promises," Deathstrike said.
Pretty Boy's care free nature suddenly disappeared as he leaned in to be eye to eye with Deathstrike. "You give me your word or you can stay in the car. Don't disobey me."
There were no more words spoken as he went back to his carefree nature and they waited to get to their destination.
John, Dani, Rose, and Saul were inside now sitting at the table with food in front of them. John was still a little on guard. There was something about Saul that rubbed him the wrong way.
"I think you should explain yourself Saul," Rose said sitting down.
Saul took a drink from his beer. "My name isn't Saul for one. My name is Victor Creed."
"Sabretooth," Dani whispered.
"I haven't been Sabretooth in a long time," he said thinking back. "Last time I saw Logan he didn't look so good. Older. Slower. That's why I attacked you the way I did. I looked at you and knew you couldn't be him. Thought you were some project sent to kill me finally."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Rose asked. "You could have told me the day I dragged you out of that ditch who you were."
"Would you have let me stay if I told you I was the infamous mutant terrorist Sabretooth."
"I don't judge people by their past Victor," she said with a little spite.
"I am sorry," he then looked to Dani and John. "You go by John. Can I ask what you and the girl are doing?"
"My father was taken," Dani explained. "By the men who created John. We are trying to find them, we just don't know who they are."
"If they claim to have created you it has to be Transigen," Victor said. "They are the reason mutants are damn near gone. But the public doesn't know that."
"We finally got a lead," Dani said to John.
"How can we find them?" John asked. "Where would they be keeping her father?"
"I've been out for a long time kid. There's no telling how big they've gotten."
"Okay then where is there nearest facility because we can't stay in one place to long," Dani pushed for information.
"Why?" Victor asked getting a bad feeling.
"Some people are after us. There like a group of people with robotic parts."
"The Reavers? You got the fucking Reavers after you and you lead them here."
"Victor calm down," Rose said.
"Get out!"
"Where's there nearest facility?" Dani asked again.
"They have a small one in the next town but it's useless. Try…Austin in Texas. There's a facility there that last I checked had a lot of weight for them. Now go."
"We can't just kick them out," Rose defended.
"The Reavers are merciless mercenaries. They are probably right down the street."
"He's right," Dani stands up from the table. "We have to go."
"Then take my father's old truck," Rose suggested walking over to a drawer and pulling out a pair of keys.
She tossed them to John who caught them and tossed them to Dani who caught them.
"Really?" Victor said.
"She's a good driver."
They got into the truck taking one final look at Rose and Victor before taking off down the road. Victor walked back into the house and Rose followed.
"We can't just send them off and hope for the best," Rose said watching as Victor closed and locked all the windows.
"I'm not getting mixed up in this."
"I'm pretty sure they don't want to be mixed up in this either."
"What do you want from me Rose!? I've been trying to live out my last days in piece. I've fought in countless wars and more battles. Nothing has changed, nothing has gotten better, and there is nothing left to fight for. The Broherhood is gone, the X-Men are gone, and so is Sabretooth!"
"Nothing to fight for? Victor it may be weird but John is family."
"He is clone of my true brother that hardly makes him family."
"He's your nephew Victor."
"Only by blood."
"What's stronger than that? I'm not saying to be Sabretooth. You are not that man anymore. You can be better than what you used to be."
Victor breathed heavy looking out the window as he saw black vans and jeeps pass by the house. He saw them heading down the road where John and Dani just went. He gritted his teeth clenching his fist together.
Dani sped down the road when she looked in her mirror. She turned around to be sure and there they were. The Reavers were right behind them speeding up fast.
"Shit!" Dani said. "What do we do?"
John thought carefully about what their next move should be as they approached a small town.
"We can lose them in the upcoming town," John suggested.
"We can try," Dani said pulling into the town and taking a sharp left.
John looked around trying to find some where to go when he spots a construction site.
"There," he said pointing.
Dani turned into the site as the Reavers were not far behind. Her and John jumped out and ran into site that was abandoned. The Reavers pulled up getting out there cars and loading there weapons. Pretty Boy got out with Deathstrike and Skullbuster right behind him.
"Get in there and find them," Pretty Boy said. "And remember we need them both alive now," he shouted looking right at Deathstrike.
They moved into the construction site guns at the ready. John and Dani hid behind a steel beam watching them.
"We can't get anywhere with them constantly on our backs," John said. "We have to finish them right here."
"There's still a lot of them," Dani advised.
"We don't have another choice." John climbed up the steel beam as Dani kept hidden. She really wishes she knew these powers John was asking her about.
John walked slowly above the Reavers that were moving throughout the site. He took a deep breath and jumped straight down in the crowd whipping his claws out. He came down hard on two of them putting his claws into their backs. He got up quickly slicing the necks of two more with a single swing then put his claws into the chest of another. He kept the claws in him using the man as a shield as the other Reavers fired at him. He emerged from behind the man jumping at a Reaver putting claws into his neck and then quickly ducked an attack cutting him almost in the half from the waist. He jumped at the nearest attacker putting him in a headlock and flipping him to the ground and drove his claws into his back.
He saw more coming and was ready to continue the assault till a loud gun went off hitting him right in the shoulder. He fell to the ground in pain as he saw the gang of Reavers moving towards him.
"NO!" Dani screamed about to run over to him.
"AAAAARRRRHGGHHHH," an animal like yell came from above as Victor fell right in front John. He faced down the Reavers claws and fangs ready. John stood up right next to Victor ready to face off with them.
Skullbuster who just fired the shot as John watched as the newcomer took a stance. "We got another one," he tells Pretty Boy over the headset.
"I see him," Pretty Boy said looking from behind a pile of rubble.
Victor and John waited for someone to make a move as Victor saw a guy moving his finger to the trigger. He leaped at the man tossing him into his fellow gang members. He hit one across the face then drove his claws into the gut of the man behind him. He was about to get shot until John Leaped over Victor and plunged his claws into the man's face. The other Reavers were regrouping as they surrounded the two.
"Back to back," Victor said.
John listened as he stood back to back with the much taller man ready to face off with the mercenaries. They charged the two mutants as Victor caught one by the throat and with his other hand back slapped another attacker. John was making quick work of them as he sliced and diced the necks, arms, and legs of the men attacking.
"Pretty Boy, get our men out of there. I can't get a clear shot" Skullbuster said.
"Deathstrike, get X-24 separated from the others…Deathstrike!"
John and Victor continued to dwindle the numbers of the Reavers. Victor jumped up kicking one in the chest and then came down hard with his fist onto another one. John tripped one with his claws then thrusted his claw into the side of the head of another Reaver.
"Damn it," Pretty Boy said. "Looks like I'll have to get my hands dirty."
Pretty Boy jumped out from behind cover and into the fray. Victor saw him coming and tried to grab him but Pretty Boy flipped over him effortlessly and tackled John onto a lower level. John got up throwing an attack that Pretty Boy blocked and delivered numerous punches at superhuman speeds into his torso then performed a backflip kicking John hard in the jaw.
"Cybernetics are amazing aren't they," Pretty Boy said taking a fighting stance.
Dani watched as Victor went full Sabretooth on the Reavers ripping them apart one by one. She then heard footsteps behind her and saw a woman walking up to her.
"You have some god damn nerve," Deathstrike said. She grabbed Dani by the throat with one hand lifting her in the air. With her other hand she extracted her long nails. "How dare you invade my mind. You had no right to see what you did let alone let me relive it."
"I don't know what you are talking about," Dani gasped for air.
"They said we need you alive, but I know plenty of ways to make you suffer for days."
Victor ripped the throat out of Reaver turning to see Deathstrike holding Dani in the air. He growled falling to all fours and charging Deathstrike tackled her to the ground. He stood up tossing her into the air and as she fell back down he hit as hard as he could making her fly into a forklift. She yelled in anger charging at him.
"Come to die old man," she yelled while sending a flying kick to his face. She was about to bring her nails down on him but he caught her arm and with all his power and ripped it off. She yelled in pain as blood, oil, and circuits fell from her arms.
"Actually," Victor said tossing the arm at her feet. "I haven't felt this alive in years."